Tuesday, October 25, 2005

This morning, still sleepy, standing at the kitchen counter munching on toast, I realized that peanut butter just isn't that big here. You don't see it in desserts at cafes, peanut butter-chcolate confections, plays on Reese's peanut butter cups. You do see adzuki (red) beans, green tea, mango, mochi.

On the other hand, how surprized was I to find that sweet and sour fish (榶醋魚) is a real Chinese dish, not a Chinese-American creation. Of course here the sweet and sour fish is much better than the one-dimensional sugary mess there. My favorite seafood restaurant (right next to the ocean against the rocks) makes a delightful version: unctuous, tangy, and sweet without being overly so, made with your choice of the day's catch.